Northern Ballet at Milton Keynes Theatre: By Royal Appointment

Total MK makes a royal appointment with Northern Ballet to learn more about Victoria - the new ballet on its way to MK Theatre.

Northern Ballet is marking the bicentenary of Queen Victoria’s birth with Victoria, a new full-length narrative ballet that charts the sensational story of a passionate young princess who became an unforgettable Queen, writes Georgina Butler.

The choreographer responsible for creating this dancing queen - and giving us a behind-the-scenes glimpse into her fascinating family life - is Cathy Marston. No stranger to Northern Ballet, Marston worked with the company on three past productions, including the critically-acclaimed Jane Eyre in 2016.

Keep scrolling for a peek into the rehearsal studio, production photographs and insights from the Northern Ballet creatives themselves.

Cathy Marston
Choreographer and Director of Victoria

What do you want audiences to take away from this ballet?
“We want to present Victoria in a different way; to understand her as a queen but also as a mother and a wife.
“I think many people, not just women, struggle with how to create an identity that incorporates all the strands of ourselves – your own person, a parent, a partner, a professional – and Victoria’s numerous roles contained that same tension.”
“We were also interested in Beatrice as the conduit for Victoria’s diaries and how her relationship with her mother impacted on how she revised history.”
“The production will be beautiful and quirky at times, but I ultimately want to move people.”

Your association with Northern Ballet goes back many years now. What do you most enjoy about working with the Company?
“I love that we all have an obvious passion for storytelling through movement and that everyone jumps straight in to the work. They do their research and take the character development really seriously.

“Because all the dancers learn at least two different roles, there’s a real sense of ownership of the whole ballet - not just a part - so it feels like we’re on a big project together and that’s lovely.
“They are also a lot of fun in rehearsals!”

Abigail Prudames
First Soloist at Northern Ballet; created the role of Queen Victoria in Victoria

Last year, you created the title role in David Nixon’s The Little Mermaid and now you are dancing as Queen Victoria. How does it compare to be playing a historic figure, rather than a fictional character?
“It differs from fictional characters because this woman actually lived! We’re not presenting someone’s idea of her personality, or events that have been made up, it all actually happened.

“With fictional characters you have the freedom to interpret them based on your perception of them, but not so with someone as real and iconic as Queen Victoria. If I think about all the history that we are trying to portray, it’s quite daunting but I’ve tried to put that aside and do my best to interpret Cathy’s vision for the ballet.”

How would you like Victoria to be viewed by the audience?
“Not in the typical way. It’s not all thrills and tiaras because that wasn’t what her life was.
“Beatrice is directing the narrative of the ballet so I think that will be interesting for the audience to see the highs and lows Victoria’s life from Beatrice’s point of view.

She transcribed and edited her mother diaries, burning the originals, so what we know about Victoria is Beatrice’s version of her mother and what she has allowed to be made available to the public.”

Pippa Moore
Premier Dancer at Northern Ballet; created the role of Princess Beatrice in Victoria

How would you like the audience to view Beatrice?
“The character of Beatrice is really interesting. Her nickname throughout her life was ‘Baby’ and she was also known as ‘the shy princess’. Victoria essentially forced the role of lifelong companion on her, so she didn’t have the independence that her siblings enjoyed.
“I had to think how I could relate to Beatrice because, at first, I thought she didn’t have enough gumption to stand up for herself. Then I found out that Beatrice had a huge falling out with Victoria over her engagement to her future husband, Liko. Beatrice stood her ground which resulted in Victoria not speaking to her for about seven months and only communicating with notes passed over the breakfast table! Beatrice suddenly became more layered and interesting to me.
“My hope is that the audience is moved by the transition in Beatrice’s mind as she begins to see her mother as a woman.”

What should audiences expect when they come to see this ballet?
“They will see something a little less predictable. I did love the televised ITV series although it was very romanticised; the costumes, the chandeliers and gilded frames.

If you come to the theatre to see Northern Ballet, expect a different angle.
“We haven’t changed history, but we are looking at it from a different viewpoint. This is appropriate because theatre audiences today expect to be challenged with more than historical re-enactments and fancy dress!”

> Northern Ballet's Victoria visits Milton Keynes Theatre from Tuesday, April 30.

For more dance and theatre news, reviews, features and interviews by Georgina, visit http://georginabutler.co.uk and follow her on Twitter @GeorginaLButler and Instagram @glbdancewriter